Cable excavator.



A. D. HADSEL.

CABLE EXCAVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I0, 1915.

Patented Feb 1 -S H E E 1 l 2 SHEETS I l "h A TI'RNEYS Tm: COLUMBIA PLANQGRAPH C0., WASHINGTON. B. t

A. D. HADSEL.

CABLE EXCAVATOR.

APPLlcATloN man SEPT. 1o. 1915.

Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

TORNEYS TMI? coLuMnlA PLMAIOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

annu renten,

ALVAEI D. HADSEL, OIF PHILADELPHIA., PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO CABLE EXC-AVATORCOMPANY, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE.

CABLE EXCAVATOR. i

Application ined september 1o, 1915.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it knownthat I, ALvAI-r D. Hansen, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new `and Improved Cable Excavator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. y

This invention relates to excavators .of the elevated carrier type or that species of excavators in which the skipor digging and carryingelement is movable along an overhead cableway.

Among the objects of the inventionis to provide, in combination with a slack cable trackway adapted to be raised or lowered and tightened or slackened, a special and novel type of bucket adapted to be dumped either automatically or semi-automatically by simple manipulation ofthe power attachments.

More definitely stated, an object of the invention is to provide a slack cable trackway, trolley devices movable along the trackway, and a bucketsuspended` at some distance below the trolley devices, the supporting means for the bucket being ccnnected at both ends thereof and leading thence to the trolley devices, means being provided as a result of certain manipulations of the power devices to vary the relative lengths of said suspending devices, whereby the bucket will be tilted for dumping.

Vilith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and `while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which-- Figure l is a side elevation in diagram of one form of the invention, the bucket` being shown in full lines in illing position and in dotted lines in dumping position; F ig. 2 is a similar view of a slightly modi-` iied form of the invention; Fig. 3 is an en- Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Feb. 1, i916.

Serial No. 49,934.

larged side elevation of one form of the bucket, in filling position; F ig.4 is a side elevation of the same in approximately dumping position; Fig. 5 is a side elevation in filling` position of that form of bucket shown in Figs. l and 2; and Fig. (i is a side elevation of the same in dumping position. Referring now more particularly to the drawings, I show a slack cable excavator, and by the term excavator as used herein I would be understood as comprehending other specific types of elevated or overhead carriers, since in many features of the invention the novelty does not depend upon the use of the improvement as an earth digger or excavator. For instance, the apparatus with little or no alteration could well be adapted for handling sugar cane, hay, or various other commodities.

Referring to Figs. 3 and fl of the drawings, at A I indicate on overhead cableway, which, as heretofore, may comprise a. single cable or more, spanning the eld of operation.

At 18 I show a bucket indicated as of a self-filling or digging nature of more or less conventional form per se, the same, however, beinv shown as suspended from trolley devices including front and rear trolleys 19 and 2O respectively, movable along the cableway A. One of the suspending devices above referred to consists of a link or bail 2l pivoted at its upper end at 22 to the trolley 19 and at its lower end at 23 to the front upper corner `of the bucket. The bail 2l is rigid and maintains the points 22 and 23 at a iixcd distance apart. The` other suspending device for the bucket comprisesa cable B connected at one end at 24 to the rear end of a rigid strut 25 and at its other end to the rear end of the bucket at 26. Thestrut 25 is pivoted at its front end at 27 to the front trolley and extends thence rearwardly along or within the rear trolley 20. The intermediate portion of the suspending cable `B operates over a sheave 28 journaled in the bottom of the trolley 20"; otherwise there is no direct connection between the rear trolley and either the bucket or the front trolley.

C indicates a draft-cable operating from v any suitable source of power. The end of the draft cable is connected to the bucket through a main chain connection 31 con nected to the mouth or front portion of the bucket at the point 32, and 33 indicates an auxiliary connection leading from the point 34: to the rear trolley at the point 35.

The operation of the device thus far described may be briefiy set forth as follows: With the cableway A slackened the bucket will gravitate downwardly along the cablel way to the place for filling. rlhe weight of the rear end of the bucket, furthermore, will tend to hold theJ bucket in a substantially level position, as shown in Fig. 3, the suspending cable B serving to hold the two trolleys well spaced from each other. At this time the suspending bail 21 extends backwardly somewhat as well as downwardly from the front trolley. The elevation of the bucket and its digging action may be controlled by the degree of tightness of the cableway A. The draft upon Vthe cableV C, while the bucket is in the position just described, will cause it to be propelled toward the power station and filled with material. `When the bucket is filled, the cableway A will be tightened and thereby cause the bucket to be lifted clear of the ground,`

the draft upon the cable C continuing to convey the filled bucket to the place of deposit, such place being determined by a stop 36 clamped in any suitable manner to the cableway. When the front trolley impinges against the stop 36, the continued draft upon the cable C acting now primarily through the auxiliary line 33, will draw the rear trol; ley toward the front trolley, as shown in Fig. 4, thereby causing the strut 25 to project relatively rearwardly from therear trolleyand causing the suspending cable B to lift the rear end of the bucket and dump the load. During this action the draft chain 31 will be comparatively inoperative, the draft thereon being relieved by the front portion of the bucket and bail 21 swinging slightly forwardly around the pivot 22. The dumping of the bucket is effected practically automatically in this operation, and thereafter, upon releasing the power devices, the bucket will automatically right itself and return to be relilled as already described.

In Fig. 1 I indicate an adaptation of the.

of the cableway. A bucket 18 is or may be practically the same in form or design as the one previously described: :The suspension bail 21, as in the previous description, is pivot-ed at 22 tothe front part of the `frame 41 and at 23 to the upper front portion of the bucket. The draft cable C operates over the sheave 30 and is connected tothe drum 29 which is adapted to be reversed or driven in either direction.k rlfhis draft cable is connected to the bucket and trolley devices through connections comprising a main draft chain 31 Vand an auxiliary connection secured to the front portion of the bucket and the front portion of the frame 41 respectively.`

B indicates a tail and dumping rope secured in any `suitable manner to the drum 29, or it may in some instances constitute a continuation of the draft cable C. From the drum this rope operates over the sheave 33; thence'down forming a loop in which is located a movable sheave a3; thence it `ex tends over the sheave 3l'out along the trolley devices between guide rollers i-i carried by a bracket 45 on the frame 41, and thence over the sheave 39 and down again to the bucket y over a sheave 28 to the point of connection 2G at the back end of the bucket. This rope B serves, as above set forth, as one of the suspending devices for the bucket and therefore acts not only as a means for dumping thc bucket, butit also acts'as a tail rope whereby thebucket may be drawn positively along the cableway in the direction opposite from that in which it is drawn by the mainA draft cable C.

The operation of filling the'bucket and transporting it `to the place of deposit of the material is practically the same in this form of the invention as in the first one described, the cableway being adapted to be lifted or lowered by operation of the drum 17. The main drum 29 when operated to fill the bucketl and draw it toward the power station serves to pay out the rope B to a similar extent so that the rope B does not obstruct or yinterfere with'the operation of the bucket during these parts of the operation. The rope B, however, is adapted to be manipulated independently of the operay tion of the cable C', either while the bucket is in motion or otherwise, by'operation of the drum 17. having a short looped cable 411 extending therefrom to the block in which the movable sheave 43, is journaled and whereby the depending loop of the rope may be lengthened or shortened. Vhen the loop is thus lengthened or the movable sheave el?) is drawn downwardly, the effective length of the suspension portion of the rope B is shortened, as shownfin Fig. 6, causing the bucket to tiltvand dump its contents. auxiliarydrum 17 may also be operated slightly to compensate for the variations in general length of the draft cable and tail rope 'coincidentally with the tightening or loosening of the cableway.

The bucket shown in Fig. 2 is the same as that in Figs. 1, 5 and G, and likewise the draft connections C', 81 and 33 are the same. The draft cable, however, in this form of the invention, is operated and controlled by its own individual drum 29. The tail rope B is connected to and controlled b y an independent drum 17 and extends thence over a head sheave, but otherwise it is connected and operates with respect to the bucket the same as in Fig. 1.

In all forms of the invention shown, the filling operation is effected automatically and the dumping is caused by bringing about a varia-tion in the normal strains upon the draft and suspending devices. In those forms of the invention where a tail rope is used, it is possible to transport the filling bucket in either direction along the cableway and dump the contents either between the pit or place of filling and the power station, or between the pit and the remote tower. The transporting is accomplished in either direction by positive draft upon one cable or rope and a substantial paying out of the other at equal speeds, and when the dump is reached the tail rope is caused to operate relatively faster than the draft cable, causing the tilting of the bucket.

I claim:

1. In a cable excavator, the combination with an overhead trackway, a bucket, and trolley means operating over the trackway, of suspending devices between the trolley means and the bucket, said suspending devices including a rigid member connected at its ends through fixed pivots to the trolley devices and to the frontend of the bucket and a flexible member connected to the other end of the bucket, and means to traverse the bucket and trolley means along the trackway.

2. In a cable excavator, the combination with a trackway, trolley devices operating along the trackway, and a bucket, of suspending devices connecting the bucket to the trolley devices, said suspending devices including a rigid member pivoted to the upper front portion of the bucket and to the front portion of the trolley devices and also in-v This cluding a fiexible connecting member leading fromthe rear end` ofthe bucket over the 'rear portion `of the trolley devices, and draft with a trackway, trolley devices thereon, and

a bucket below the trolley devices, of sus pending devices for the bucket comprising a rigid member pivoted at one end to the front end of the bucket and extending thence to and pivoted at its other end upon the front portion of the trolley devices and also including a flexible member connected to the rear end of the bucket and extending thence upwardly and along the rear portion of the trolley devices, and means to shorten the effective length of the last mentioned connection to tilt the bucket for dumping its contents.

11. In a cable excavator, the combination with an overhead trackway, a bucket, and a plurality of trolley devices operating along said trackway and movable toward or from each other, of suspending devices between the trolley devices and the bucket, said suspending devices including independent members connected to the respective ends of the bucket, one of said members being connected directly to one of said trolley devices, the other of said members being flexible and operating over a pulley on the other trolley device,

y and a rigid strut connected at one end to the first mentioned trolley device and extending thence along the other trolley device `and having said flexible suspending member connected to the opposite end thereof.

5. In a cable excavator, the combination with an overhead trackway, a bucket, and a plurality of trolley devices operating over the trackway, of suspending devices between the trolley devices and the bucket, said suspending devices including a rigid link pivoted through fixed pivots at its ends to the front trolley device and the front end'of the bucket, a flexible connection attached to the rear end of the bucket and extending thence over the rear trolley device, and a rigid strut connected permanently at one end to the front trolley device, extending thence along the rear trolley device and having said flexible member connected to its rear end, and draft members connected to the front end of the bucket and the rear trolley device.

6. In a cable excavator, the combination with an overhead trackway, a bucket, and a wv w wwwvill `5 member, a draft cable,` and independent Witnesses:

device5 and vi iexible member connected to the rear trolley device substantially as set the rear endhof the bucket and extending forth. t f e thence overt e rea-r trolley device and cony i i i nected to the rear end oi' the other rigid ALVAH D' HADSEL' f J. C. LAWRENGE,

draft connections leading from the draft CHARLES SCHABINGER.

cablel to the front end of the bucket and to Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of 4Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

